[Results of the evaluation of nasal respiration in maxillo-mandibular malocclusion in children. Apropos of 53 cases].

The authors measured nasal resistance in 53 children aged 5 to 13 years treated for bite disorders. Comparison of the results with a normal control group of children of the same age demonstrated that major nasal incompetence was 4 times more common in the group of children with orthodontic abnormalities. Nasal incompetence with permanent buccal respiration leads to disordered growth and modification of the morphogenesis of the naso-ethmoid-maxillary unit. Adaptation of deglutition and phonation to these new conditions produces modifications in the tension of the velo-pharyngo-facial and pharyngo-hyoglossal musculo-aponeurotic bands with a tendency to produce more vertical mandibular growth in children. The prevention of nasal incompetence in children and its treatment are important for coherent facial growth and guarantee the stability of the results of orthodontic treatment.